JD and I are sleepers. Most of our pre-baby memories involve lots of sleep. Like, sleep-until-noon-on-weekends-sleep. For fun, we like to go to bed early and get an extra hour or 2. Sleep is good and we thrive on getting lots of it. We were not prepared for getting 2 hour increments (at best) once Beatrice was born. And when that reality slapped us in the face, instead of working out a fair sleep-catch-up schedule where we took shifts getting some shut-eye, we selfishly took on the mantra of every man for himself. Since I nurse, I usually got screwed with this deal. I had so much difficulty nursing her in the beginning that I always woke JD up and made him help me, hehehe. For about a month, we walked around walking into walls and living off of buckets of coffee just to keep our eyes open. I don't just like sleep, I really need 8 hours to feel human. 7 at the least. Anything less than that makes me feel dead.
The stupid thing is we never took naps during the day. We were dead set on getting back to our regular sleep pattern that any deviation felt like steps backwards. This is our biggest parenting fail: we continue to ignore the fact that our lives are drastically different since having a baby. Slowly but surely though, Beatrice started sleeping longer stretches at night and much to our delight, we were too. 5 hours turned into 7 hours, 7 turned into 10, and finally she slept for 12 solid hours. I'm not gonna lie, I prayed for this. Somewhere during that first month I pleaded with God to make her sleep. I told Him I didn't know what kind of mother I would be without good, quality rest. For the last several months, sleep has made a welcomed return to our house.
Until this week. Now I'm getting less than my required 8 hours and I am feeling it. Tonight, we are going to bed early. Hopefully Beatrice will take my cue and sleep until 7 like a good baby girl. Otherwise I might be forced to accept the fact that life is now different and my beloved sleep is but a fleeting memory. I'm not ready, I'm not ready!!!!
Beatrice is spooning me after I brought her into our bed this morning to nurse and attempt to get her back to sleep. We never went back to sleep, but I did get a baby spoon. Win for me!
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I used to be such a sleeper too. Those days are long gone! Marley wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 every day. It's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteP.s. Her hair makes me smile everytime I read your blog!
You wouldn't have survived the last 9 months with my child. He has yet to sleep through the night and he still wakes up atleast twice every night. And he is up by 6 or 6:30 am every morning.
ReplyDeleteI've just learned to live without sleep. I figure I can sleep when I'm dead :)
I feel ya girl!! Just know that YOU set the rules! My nephews have a bad 5am habit and they have tried like crazy to break it but to no avail! AB was a consistent 7/7:15 waker and I try not to let her up before that. But about a month or so ago, she started trying that 6, 6:15, 6:30 thing, so she hangs out for that time, or I send daddy in to settle her.(if I go in she's DONE-she wails and wants booby) So we pull her door most of the way, turn on our sound machine and roll over until 7, and she is fine. It's not always perfect, but it's a battle I will NOT back down from! I refuse being up before that, at least...until she is school age.
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